Heard from the admin team, actually--they are working on it.

So, any advice, from the sorcerers and swordsmen? I've never been to a con, not since I was a kid, at least. What's a good strategy? How many games should one try to get in a day--is it wise to avoid overbooking in order to save time for drinking and socializing? Can those be combined with the games? I def. want to play some AS&SH, maybe Gamma World or Metamorphosis Alpha, some O/AD&D. Should one angle for the VIP DMs or just dive in blind?

Are there spots reserved in Ghul's game for people with, say, 600 posts on the AS&SH forum?

Any advice on level of badge to get?

Thanks.

Besides me (of course!), Rich Franks (francisca) and Morgan Hazel (mabon) may run a little AS&SH. They both do a fantastic job. In fact, I've had customers come to my vending booth to buy the game after they've played in sessions with those gentlemen, so that says a lot right there!

I'll be there, accompanied by my cohort of jackbooted thugs!  We remedied last year's room failure by reserving rooms at the Lodge as soon as they'd take reservations for next year... So in 2015 we'll be able to drink like the large, thirsty men we are.  I'm hoping to see Chainsaw's forehead head actually strike the table in front of him. 

Advice for Handy: as you've surmised, it's definitely wise to avoid overbooking. There are always games you can fall into spontaneously, because some other schmuck spread himself too thin and is still in bed, hung over... (I might've been said schmuck, my first year.)

We usually arrive thursday afternoon and leave sunday noon, and in 72 hours at the Con I'll schedule myself for no more than 4 games.  Even if I play in just one 4+ hour game per day, I'm happy, because I'm able to catch up with pals and enjoy hanging out in and around the town.

If anyone is interested: we always do a night of prowling blues clubs in Chicago (where we fly in/out), either on Wednesday or Sunday night. Always a great time.

 

capitalbill wrote:

Joe Mac wrote:

So in 2015 we'll be able to drink like the large, thirsty men we are.  I'm hoping to see Chainsaw's forehead actually strike the table in front of him.  

Awww, hell. Another raucous night of pitchers and shots.

Haha! I will see what I can do to oblige. 

Gold badge snagged between suspensions! See you there!

So, there's been some progress with GaryCon lately. Got my swanky Gold Badge!

Question for you guys who have been before, though. I started kicking around the idea of running a game--maybe the new Death Frost Doom using AS&SH rules. But then I realized that there's no way of knowing when anything else is scheduled, and it would suck to find I had picked a time to run a game when Ghul or francisca or Mabon or one of the VIPs whose games I'd really like to try out has a game scheduled. So . . . what do you think? Just do it and take the chance? Skip it? Is there any point to waiting and seeing what happens as the catalogue gets filled in, or does that not happen until everything is scheduled?

Thanks.

What Jeff said is true, especially for a first-time attendee. No matter when your game falls, you'll probably miss something cool. Not to mention, high-demand games can fill up in 30-90 seconds of registration opening up. You might spend hours of time PM'ing different people trying to coordinate compatible game times, only to find that the registration process blows up your carefully laid plans.

Nevertheless, if I wanted to run a game and wanted also to play in one of Jeff's games, I'd aim for a morning slot. I think Jeff's games tend to be late afternoon or evening, if I recall. During the day he's usually in the vendor room at the AS&SH booth. I think francisca and mabon had day time games last year. So, you can already see the complications.

Another option might be to hold an informal, off-grid, pick-up game instead of a formal game. This allows you to wait for the game schedule, evaluate it, then perhaps coordinate with people you know from here or other boards, either in front of registration or once the music's stopped, to play a game at an open gaming table or in the bar.

Also, as I may have said before, I would avoid more than 1-2 scheduled events a day. Free time's nice for various reasons. For example, I like to sleep in, have breakfast in town, etc, so I don't schedule anything before 10AM. Others may avoid formal evening games to focus on socializing against the backdrop of a casual pick-up game in the bar with friends.

Okay, Trouble in Vikland II has been submitted.  Noon on saturday.

Here is the catalog description:

A year ago, the evil Frost Giant Jarl Ulaf was vanquished.  For a time, the lands were at peace.  Now, the ravaging has begun again.  This time, the perpetrator is is alleged to be a tall, beautiful Ice Sorceress

Could this be the beautiful ghost-like woman who had lured so many young men to their frost-bitten, hoary deaths?  Or is this some new damnation for all of humankind - Vikings, Esquimaux, and Kimmerian alike?

This is a (loose) continuation of the adventure I ran last year, set in the same general area of Hyperborea.

This game will utilize the Astonishing Sorcerers and Swordsmen and Hyperborea RPG.  Some familiarity with AD&D and/or OD&D will be helpful to players unfamiliar with the system.  Pre-generated characters in the level range of 8-10 will be provided.

Very cool!